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Your Friendly Neighbor

Hurricane and tropical storm

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30.

Written for a household in St. Johns County and northeast Florida. This is a planning aid. Orders, zones, and shelter instructions come from the county and the state.

All guides · One-page card

Before

  • Learn your evacuation zone on the St. Johns County emergency management page. This site does not look up an address.
  • Ready.gov says storm surge and inland flooding are the hurricane hazards to plan around, including well away from the beach. Follow the county if your zone is told to leave.
  • Pick a sturdy place to shelter for wind, and a separate plan if you are told to evacuate. The American Red Cross says mobile homes, manufactured homes, and RVs are not safe shelter from tropical-storm or hurricane-force winds.
  • Ready.gov: store water at one gallon per person per day, and food for several days. Florida Division of Emergency Management describes a kit for at least 7 days.
  • Bring in or tie down outdoor items. Clear gutters and drains. Charge phones and keep a hand-crank or battery radio.
  • The Florida Division of Emergency Management evacuation page says to keep a gas tank at least half full, or an electric vehicle at least half charged, during the season.

During

  • Use a weather radio, county alerts, and the National Weather Service. If local officials say to evacuate, leave. Do not wait for the wind to rise.
  • For high wind, Ready.gov says to use a designated shelter or a small interior room. Do not climb into a closed attic to escape floodwater.
  • Ready.gov: do not walk, swim, or drive through floodwater. It says six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person down, and one foot of moving water can carry a vehicle.
  • Stay away from windows. Text family if phone calls are not going through.

After

  • Wait until local officials say it is safe to go out or to come home.
  • Stay away from downed lines and standing water. Do not touch electrical equipment if you or it is wet.
  • Ready.gov says people with asthma, other lung conditions, or immune suppression should not enter buildings with visible or smelled mold. Children should not do disaster cleanup.
  • Photograph damage for your insurer. Throw out food that got wet or warm. See the power-outage guide for fridge times.

Checklist

  • Evacuation zone checked on the county page
  • Water and food started (see the calculator)
  • Radio that works without house power
  • Copies of IDs and insurance in a dry bag
  • Outdoor items plan, and a half-full fuel tank or charge
  • Meeting place and an out-of-area contact written down

Sources

Official pages only. Open them for the full instructions.